UFC

KHABIB NURMAGOMEDOV has put aside his near decade-old feud with Conor McGregor to wish his former rival well for the future.

Nurmagomedov and McGregor, 36 and 37, respectively, took part in the biggest grudge match and PPV fight in UFC history back in October 2018.

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The blood feud didn’t end when ‘The Notorious’ was submitted in the fourth round of their UFC 229 showdown in Las Vegas.

McGregor has fired several shots the Russian’s way over the years and has often accused him of running away from a rematch with his retirement.

Nurmagomedov has seldom spoken about his old rival but is aware of all the legal troubles he’s had in recent years.

And the Dagestani recently revealed he hopes McGregor can get on the straight and narrow, albeit without mentioning his name.

During a recent Q&A event in New York, Nurmagomedov said: ““I don’t wanna mention his name.

“This is punishment… The most beautiful part of this is Allah always give the chance to come back.

“We always have in this world the chance to come back, and this is the most beautiful thing.

“It doesn’t matter how you’ve been, Allah is gonna give you a chance always to come back. I think he has a chance.”

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Nurmagomedov believes McGregor turning his life around would be a story which could inspire people across the globe.

The former undefeated and long-reigning lightweight champion said: “He has to change how he is living.

“Why am I talking about this? If he’s gonna change, he can change with him so many other lives too.

“That’s why I wish him to change himself. If he’s not gonna change, it will be punishment all his life.”

McGregor has only fought three times since losing the biggest fight in UFC history.

The Irishman got back in the win column against Donald Cerrone in January 2020 before suffering back-to-back stoppage losses to Dustin Poirier the following year.

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McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the octagon since breaking his leg in his trilogy fight with Poirier four years ago as injury scuppered his comeback clash with Michael Chandler last July.

The UFC’s first simultaneous two-weight world champion is hellbent on returning to the octagon and recently re-entered the promotion’s testing pool.

If McGregor fights again, his next outing will be his first since he was found civilly liable for having assaulted Nikita Hand at a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

McGregor appealed the verdict turned in at Dublin’s High Court but lost his bid to overturn the civil verdict late last month.

Reinier de Ridder survives a brutal knockdown to win by split decision against Robert Whittaker in the main event at Etihad Arena in the UAE.

Reinier de Ridder secured the biggest win of his Octagon career at UFC Abu Dhabi, narrowly securing a hard-fought split decision over former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at the Etihad Arena in the United Arab Emirates.

De Ridder (21-2) earned his third win of 2025 by defeating the Australian by split decision; two of the three judges scored the 84kg (185-pound) bout 48-47 for de Ridder, while a third had it 48-47 for Whittaker.

“I don’t want to fight like this [Whittaker], man, this guy was too tough,” de Ridder said in a post-fight interview on Saturday. “I expected to take him down. He was so tough, so durable. Heavy f****** hands.”

The Dutch fighter had to survive a brutal knockdown in round three when Whittaker dropped him with a right hand to the chin in the opening minute.

De Ridder managed to survive the attack, and consolidated his overall superiority in strikes – de Ridder landed 169 in total, compared with 100 for Whittaker, according to official UFC statistics – and recovered to win the final two rounds by wearing down the 34-year-old with repeated knees to the body and constant grappling.

Throughout the five-round fight, there was little to separate the pair. When the final bell sounded, the split decision reflected the closeness of the contest.

De Ridder’s victory was his fourth Ultimate Fighting Championship career victory. Whittaker (27-9) has now lost two straight and three of his five most recent fights.

Following his victory, de Ridder, ranked 13th heading into the Whittaker fight, called for a title shot against the winner of the middleweight championship bout between Dricus Du Plessis and Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 319 on August 16.

“I want to finish a guy in the first round, so maybe it would be better if I fought Khamzat [Chimaev] or Dricus [Du Plessis]. Give me my title shot.”

In the co-main event, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defeated Marcus McGhee by unanimous decision. Yan outpaced his opponent in total strikes, significant strikes, control and takedowns.

In the middleweight match, Shara Magomedov bounced back from his first professional loss, which came against Michael Page in February, to win over Marc-Andre Barriault by unanimous decision. Magomedov earned a 30-27 score from all three judges.

Whittaker is a former UFC middleweight champion who has won 17 of his 23 fights since joining the promotion in 2012.

He is currently fifth in the UFC’s middleweight rankings, demonstrating sporting longevity at the top which is matched by few.

Although Whittaker says regaining the title – which he lost to Israel Adesanya in 2019 and is now held by Du Plessis – remains a goal, it his not his biggest driver any more.

“I’ve got nothing to prove, there’s just things that I’m working for. I’m leading by example for my kids and any other athlete that wants to look up to me,” says Whittaker.

“I’ve been in the game so long, what drives me to be better and push as hard as I do, is the kids.”

De Ridder is fighting in only his fourth UFC bout after joining the organisation last year.

He is 34 like Whittaker, but has spent much of his career in fellow MMA promotion One Championship, where he is a former middleweight and light-heavyweight champion.

“De Ridder is going to be looking to pressure me and take me down to the ground and make me uncomfortable,” said Whittaker.

“I want to get my hands on him and hope for a quick one but I’ve been training for a 25-minute slugfest.”

Justin Poirier couldn’t secure a dream sendoff in final fight of his 16-year storied UFC career, losing to Max Holloway.

The trilogy fight between Max Holloway and Dustin Poirier may not have been a microcosm of their first two encounters, but it delivered an electrifying final 15 seconds when Holloway and the retiring Poirier traded blows in the fifth round.

The result was a victory for lightweight Holloway by unanimous decision on the three judges’ cards – 48-47, 49-46, 49-46 – at UFC 318 in New Orleans on Saturday night.

Holloway (27-8 MMA) was classy in victory against Poirier, as he had lost the first two fights of the series before returning the favour in Louisiana native Poirier’s last mixed martial arts bout.

“The baddest man alive, bro,” said Holloway, 33. “Give it up for Dustin Poirier.”

A first-round knockdown from the Hawaiian set the tone early as Holloway nearly finished Poirier (30-10), but his 36-year-old opponent persevered.

By the fourth round, Poirier had little energy left but admitted post-fight that he was impressed that the former featherweight champion Holloway’s striking was still as sharp as ever. According to the final stats on the broadcast, Holloway outlanded Poirier 113-99 in significant head strikes.

“I thought he was going to be in here cracking a little bit harder, which he was,” Poirier said of Holloway. “This guy is tough to deal with when he’s in front of you. He’s slick. He’s crafty. He’s fast. He’s the [BMF] champ. I got nothing but respect for Max, man. He’s one of the good guys.”

Holloway made his first defence of the “BMF” title a successful one since winning it last April at UFC 300. It is unclear what direction the belt takes, as it is not associated with a division and has been used infrequently since November 2019.

In earlier matches, Paulo Costa of Brazil got back in the win column with a unanimous decision over Roman Kopylov, utilising his boxing to sweep the cards 30-27, 30-27, 29-28. Costa (15-4) remains in the middleweight title picture, while Kopylov (14-4) has won his last two fights.

The next two fights also saw another string of decisions, with welterweight Daniel Rodriguez outlasting Kevin Holland despite a late rally from Holland, nearly finishing him in the third round with strikes. The cards read 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, as Holland (28-14) was another betting favourite at the expense of Rodriguez (20-5).

Patricio Pitbull earned his first UFC victory with a win by unanimous decision over featherweight Dan Ige by identical 29-28 scores. Pitbull’s wrestling was too much for Ige, who entered the fight having lost two of his last three fights. Pitbull (37-8) last fought in April at UFC 314, where Ige (19-10) earned a win on the same card.

UFC 318’s pay-per-view got under way with lightweight Michael Johnson earning a unanimous decision in an upset of Daniel Zellhuber. The 39-year-old Johnson (24-19) was a significant underdog entering the fight but won the cards with matching 29-28 scores. A second-round knockdown swung the fight in Johnson’s favour, as Zellhuber (15-3) has now lost back-to-back outings.

One of the most anticipated fights of the year takes place on Saturday as Max Holloway takes on Dustin Poirier at UFC 318 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hawaii’s Holloway defends his symbolic BMF title in the headlining bout at the Smoothie King Center, while home favourite Poirier will bring the curtain down on his magnificent career.

Former interim lightweight champion Poirier, 36, has won 21 of his 31 UFC bouts and is regarded by many as the best fighter to never win an undisputed title.

His fight with Holloway marks the third time the pair have met, with Poirier winning the previous two encounters.

“It feels surreal but it’s the right time. I don’t want the sport to chew me up, I want to walk away, I don’t want it to retire me,” said Poirier.

“We’ve fought at different times as different men and each fight has been so different. It’s exciting. Max is a legend, [a] hall of famer, and a good person so fighting him for the last one seems poetic.”

Holloway is starting the next chapter of his distinguished career by moving up to lightweight permanently after defeat by Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title in October.

“It sucks it has to be Dustin but this is his last dance and I’m here to play spoiler,” said Holloway.